Fort Smith Car Enthusiast Has Cared For Chevy For Nearly 60 Years

Pam Cloud has been a feature writer for the Times Record since November 1997. Pam has won awards from the Arkansas Press Association for tourism coverage and feature writing and has received two Redbud Awards for coverage of travel opportunities in Oklahoma. A native of Stigler, Okla., Pam has a bachelor's degree in journalism from Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Okla., and previously worked for at the Stigler News-Sentinel.

Thoughts of bygone days cruising the Mother Road filled my mind this week as I meandered through neighborhoods near Albert Pike and Park avenues.

Jack Turnham had his head under the hood of a 1955 Chevy Tudor Post when I darted by his place along Albert Pike.

“I just piddle with it,” said Jack, 73, as he changed filters on the antique car. “It was getting trash in the gas tank, so I’m changing the filters to see if it will run a little better.”

I was shocked that the nearly 60-year-old coupe was running — until I found out that Jack has owned the car since he was in high school.

“My mom got it for me,” said Jack, an only child who was born and raised in Fort Smith and has never lived anywhere else. “I graduated high school at 17 (years old) in 1956; but she bought this before that though.”

Before he graduated from Fort Smith Senior High School, Jack had a 1929 Model A that he traded for a 1936 Plymouth.

“I drove the wheels off that thing,” Jack recalled. “I saw this (Chevy) in a guy’s front yard and it had 34 miles on it and had a ‘For Sale’ sign on it.

“He said he wanted to sell it because he didn’t like it and said he’d take $1,050 for it,” he added, noting that the seller had bought it brand new with 24 miles on it and had only drove it 10 miles before he realized he didn’t care for the car. “I went home and told my mother and she signed the note at the bank and bought it.

“That was back when gas was 11 cents a gallon,” Jack said with a chuckle.

It was also a time when highways were popping up all across the country, but Route 66 was one of the most memorable.

“I’ve been to California it it twice and just about all over the country in that thing,” said Jack, the father of two and grandfather of five.

And oh, if the interior of this coupe could talk, the stories it would tell.

It’s been through dates, along Route 66, got him to and from work, and it’s hauled young daughters.

“It’s been about from here to those cars across the street from being in the ocean — in the water,” Jack added.

Cars have always been something Jack has tinkered with.

“I’m retired so I have the time,” he added. “It’s something to do.”

He pointed out the missing left front fender had accumulated quite a bit of rust. “I took it off and am grinding it back and putting it back on,” he said. “I’m slowly piddling on it.”

Jack now wishes he would have kept the ’29 Model A along with the Chevy.

“I drive it all the time,” said Jack, who has lived in an apartment since 1988 with his cousin as his landlord.

When he was a younger man, Jack worked at the Times Record for about 16 years, first in the mail room and then in the press room — making 90 cents an hour.

“Then I drove a truck for about 10 years and got tired of that,” Jack said. “Then I hurt my back and quit. I haven’t done much since.”

What is it about boys and their cars?

My father-in-law is enamored with old cars, the 1955 Chevy being one of his favorites. He enjoys going to car shows and admiring the restored automobiles. It amazes me that he can look at a car and quickly rattle off the year, make and model.

There’s something to be said for still having one of the first cars you ever drove — especially a age 73.

My first car was a red 1979 Pontiac Firebird, equipped with an 8-track player. I loved that car. It saw a lot of trips back and forth to the lake, lunch runs during high school and it made sure I safely traveled to and from Stillwater for more than three years during college. I often wish I still had the Firebird.

So I can understand Jack’s fascination with his Chevy. He has poured a lot of love and TLC into that car; in turn, it has given him a lot of pleasure for a lot of years.

Who will I find and what will they be doing next week when I head south and search the neighborhoods around Dallas and Jenny Lind? That’s where Jack’s dart landed, so that’s where I’m darting next.